Château de Beaupré

Château de Beaupré is a French bastide, vineyard and winery in Saint-Cannat, Bouches-du-Rhône, France.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

History

The bastide was built in 1739.^[1][4][7] In 1854, it was purchased by the Double family, ennobled in 1378.^[1][2][7] The estate served as a stopping-point for their horses on the way between their properties in the Luberon and in Marseilles.^[1] In 1890, Baron Emile Double (1869-1938) planted the first vineyards and built a vaulted cellar where he produced his wine in 100 hectolitre wooden vats.^[1][3][4] Simultaneously, he started selling his wine to cafes in Marseilles.^[1] His son, Henri Double (1903-2002) expanded the vineyard to 32 hectares.^[3] In 1909, an earthquake destroyed the second floor, and the bastide had to be partly rebuilt.^[8] In 1969, he planted the first Cabernet Sauvignon on the estate.^[3] Christian Double, his son, expanded the estate to 42 hectares and modernised the cellar, adding temperature control systems and rearing both red and white wine in barrels.^[3] His wife, Marie Jeanne Double, opened the estate to the public for art exhibitions and wine tasting.^[3] Their children, Maxime and Phanette, also work for the family business.^[3] Maxime Double runs Wines Tree, a wine wholesaler, while Phanette Double is the current owner.^[6]

The estate is located on the Route nationale 7.^[1]

Vineyard

The vineyard of 42 hectares sits on the Trévaresse hills, whose soil is made of clay and limestone.^[6][9] The oldest vines date back to the 1960s, and every year 1 hectare is replanted.^[9] The vineyard includes red wine grapes exist in Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Grenache; Rosé in Cinsault, Syrah and Grenache; and White in Rolle, Grenache blanc, Sémillon and Sauvignon.^[6][9]

References